Uses

Principal Proposed Uses

Other Proposed Uses

Cherries and their juice have a long history of use in food and cooking all over the world. Mention of cherries can be found in the literature of the ancient Chinese, Greeks and South Asians.

Medicinally, they have been used for a variety of pain-related conditions, including arthritis, gout, back pain and tendon injuries. It is often said that tart cherries have more medicinal value than sweet cherries.

Cherries and their juice have a long history of use in food and cooking all over the world. Mention of cherries can be found in the literature of the ancient Chinese, Greeks and South Asians.

Medicinally, they have been used for a variety of pain-related conditions, including arthritis, gout, back pain and tendon injuries. It is often said that tart cherries have more medicinal value than sweet cherries.

What Are Cherries Used for Today?

Tart cherries contain relatively high levels of substances known as anthocynanins, also found in
bilberry
,
cranberry
and other foods. Anthocyanins are
antioxidants
, and most health claims for cherries are based on this fact. However, the case that antioxidants provide health benefits has become weaker rather than stronger in recent years, and, therefore, merely finding antioxidant content in cherries is inadequate to show benefit. Only
double-blind, placebo-controlled studies
can actually provide evidence of efficacy, and for cherries, only one smal study of this type has been reported.

In this study, fourteen male athletes were given either tart cherry juice (12 oz) or placebo twice daily, and then performed intensive arm exercises.
1
The results of this trial indicated that use of cherry juice reduced pain and strength loss caused by the excessive exercise. Based on this, it has been suggested that cherry juice might be helpful for athletes in training by
enhancing recovery
from heavy exercise, due to its antioxidant actions. However, this was a very small study, and more research would be necessary to actually document benefit. Note that other antioxidants have failed to prove helpful for this purpose.

Cherries are also claimed to be helpful for
gout
, based primarily on a single "scientific" study performed in the 1950s.
2
In fact, however, this study was far too poorly designed to prove anything at all, because it did not utilize a
placebo
group. (For information on why a placebo group is essential, see
Why Does This Database Rely on Double-Blind Studies?
) A much more recent study did find some evidence that cherry consumption might lower levels of urate in the blood.
3
Although high levels of urate are associated with gout, we can not conclude that cherries can directly benefit gout based on this trial. Another larger study did assess direct benefits of cherry on gout when the study assessed the risk of recurrent gout attacks in 633 people using cherries or cherry extract two days prior to a gout attack. Participants taking cherries or cherry extract had 35% lower risk of gout attacks than when they did not use cherries or extract. Further, the addition of cherry consumption with allopurinol treatment reduced the risk of gout attacks by 75% when compared to using only one of either treatment.
5
. Both trials did have had some design issues that may reduce reliability.

One
animal study
hints that the anthocyanins in tart cherries may have
general
pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties.
4

Dosage

For use in reducing pain after intensive exercise, a dose of 12 ounces of cherry juice twice daily has been tested in the tiny study noted earlier.

A typical dosage recommendation for gout is a 1/2 pound of whole cherries daily.

Safety Issues

As a widely consumed food, cherries are presumed to have a high level of safety. However, maximum safe doses in pregnant or nursing women, young children, or people with severe liver or kidney disease have not been determined.

Revision Information

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.